A Cumberland County grand jury indicted a Bremen man on July 8 in connection with the theft of more than $50,000 from a Brunswick law firm.
Donald Osier, 42, has been charged with one count of theft in excess of $10,000 – Maine’s highest theft charge. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine, plus possible restitution payments.
Osier is accused of stealing from the law firm Basham and Scott in Brunswick while he was employed there as an administrator. Osier managed the firm and handled all of their accounting, said Kimberly Scott, a co-member of the firm with her husband, Thomas Scott.
Osier was a longtime friend of the Scotts, who are originally from Waldoboro. The trio attended Medomak Valley High School together, and their families are close, Kimberly Scott said.
When they moved their law firm from Texas in 2006, Osier was driving a commercial truck. “He had background in accounting and he was looking to get back into it,” Scott said.
Although she didn’t know it at the time, Scott said she “now knows why he went from accounting to trucking.”
Osier has no prior criminal record.
Basham and Scott hired Osier in March 2008, and he allegedly began stealing from the firm four months later, Scott said. Her statements are in line with the description of events provided by Brunswick Police Capt. Mark Waltz, who led the department’s investigation into Osier.
In the nearly three years that followed, Osier allegedly added money to his paychecks, and, instead of paying legitimate venders, he allegedly made the payment checks out to himself, Waltz said.
“When [the law firm] discovered money was missing, they also discovered they had a lot of overdue bills,” Waltz said.
When they discovered the theft in February 2011, the firm reported it to police and Osier was immediately fired, Waltz said. The exact amount of the money taken from the firm is not known, but is in excess of $50,000, Waltz said.
“We thought he was our friend, and for a small firm like ours, this was also a devastating monetary loss” Scott said.
As part of their investigation into Osier, the Brunswick Police worked with the Bangor Police Department and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office to execute search warrants at two residences: the Bangor home of Osier’s girlfriend, and Osier’s home in Bremen. At both homes, police found documents connecting Osier to the law firm, Waltz said.
Osier was charged by indictment and no warrant has been issued for his arrest, Cumberland County Court officials said. He is scheduled to appear for arraignment on Aug. 2.
Osier did not return phone calls requesting comment.
